Coach 218 will be 102 years old this summer. This Barney and Smith coach is one of the last wood coaches built for service on an American railroad. It served…
Read More
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway coach 218 has been undergoing rehabilitation and restoration in the Museum’s Conservation and Restoration Center. Reports detailing this work have appeared in this blog for…
It started out as a small project for the 1891-built Bridge 35: replace several timbers under the Pratt truss that had detectable deterioration or evidence of crushing. Simultaneously, bearing pads…
So you think you can repair a bridge? Well great, you start tomorrow! Now if only it were that simple… Most bridges are near water and at a minimum…
A recent windstorm has had a devastating impact on the Northwest Railway Museum’s bridge 35. A large cottonwood tree that measures more than five feet at the base has blown…
Many skilled professionals will agree: having the right tool for the task is worth at least half the effort. And so it applies to railroad cars and locomotives, but the…
Bridges are vitally important to railroads. They allow trains to cross rivers and gullies, swamps and streams, roads and highways, and sometimes other railroads, too. It was evolving bridge technology…
Rehabilitation of coach 218 is involving nearly every aspect of the car. This fall, the focus has been returning the floor to its former grandeur. The solid maple floor was…
Each September, United Way of King County organizes Day of Caring, an event where thousands of volunteers take the day off from work and volunteer in their communities. United Way…
Most early 20th Century railroad coaches had canvas roofs. Some railroads specified that the entire roof be clad with canvas while others preferred copper cladding on the car ends. Copper…
